Ski binding



Aug. 20, 1963 R. L.. HALL SKI BINDING 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Nov. 14.1961 INVENTOR.

302% Wwy Aug.2o,1963 RL. HA|.| 3,101,201

l SKI BINDING l Filed Nov. 14, 21961 l 1 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 '25755, I l I,y,

INVENTOR. ,P4/M2 64a United States Patent The present invention relatesto a ski binding tor attaching a ski to the boot of a skier, and moreparticularly to an improved binding which Ifacilitates quick adjustmentto boots of different sizes.

While the ski binding of the present invention may be used in place ofconventional bindings, it is particularly adapted tor use on rentalskis. Skis are rented to transients at many winter resorts, and it hasin city buildings which simulate skiing on natural ski slopes.Conventional ski bindings are quite complicated and not adapted foradjustment to lit shoes of 'a diierent size each time the skis are usedas they require extensive manipulation, trial and readjustment to suitthe individual skier. Furthermore, if the binding is too loose the skiis apt to fall 0E land if too tight it will not release in an emergency.l "V One ot the objects of the present invention is to provide animproved ski binding which may be manually adjusted to boots' ofdifferent sizes by an unskilled person in a minimum period of time.

Another object is to provide a ski binding of the type indicated whichfacilitates adjustment for shoes of different sizes and retains its'clamping engagement when once adjusted.

Another object is to provide a manually adjustable ski binding which isof relatively simple and compact construction, economical to manufactureand one which is reliable in operation.

These and other objects will become more apparent trom the Ifollowingdescription and drawings in which like characters denote like partsthroughout the several views. the drawings are :for the purpose ofillustration only and are not a deiinition ott the limits of theinvention, reference being had for this purpose to the appended claims.

In the drawings:

FIGURE l is a side elevational view of a ski incorporating the novelbinding of the present invention and shown clamped to the ski boot of awearer;

FIGURE 2 is an enlarged plan view of the ski binding illustrated inFIGURE l and showing the fior-ward toe clamp, rearward heel clamp andmanually operable knob `for adjusting the heel clamp; n Y

FIGURE 3 is a side elevational view of the binding illustrated in FIGURE2 and showing the pivotally mounted heel lclamp and the Acable foradjusting the binding and rocking the heel clamp into binding engagementwith Ilthe boot; Y

FIGURE 4 is a transverse sectional view taken on line 4-'4 ot FIGURE 2.to show the heel .clamp slidab-ly mounted on a ski plate;

FIGURE 5 isran enlanged view oi the heel clamp to show its pivotalmounting and the cable for adjusting the heel clamp longitudinally aswell as vertically with respect to the ski plate;

FIGURE 6 is a transverse sectional view taken on line 6-6 of FIGURE 3 toshown the winch for reeling the cable to adjust the heel clamp relativeto the toe clamp;

FIGURE 7 is a transverse sectional view taken on line 7-7 orf FIGURE 6to show the drum of the winch for reeling the cable in end elevation;and

FIGURE 8 is a longitudinal sectional view taken on 3,101,201 PatentedAug. 2o, 1963 ICC 2 line 8-8 of FIGURE 2. to show the worm and wheellfor operating the .cable winch.

IReferring now to the drawings, FIGURE l illustrates the ski binding 10`of the present invention applied to a 5 ski 11. The ski binding 10comprises a front abutment been proposed to rent skis to skiers for useon artificial ski slopes provided It is to be expressly understood,however, thiat j 12 for clamping engagement with the toe of a ski boot13 anda movable heel clamp 14 for engagement with the heel of a boot.'Ihe movable heel clamp 14'is slid forwardly toward the abutment 12 andinto clamping engagement with the heel of the boot and downwardly towardthejski 11 by a manually operable member illustrated in the form of aknob 15.

As shown more in detail in FIGURES 2 to 5, the binding 10 includes a skiplate 16 having longitudinally eX- tending ribs 17 and 18- arranged inlaterally spaced relation and engaging the top of lthe ski. As will beobserved in FIGURE 4, the plate 16 has ianges 19 and 20'A projectinglaterally from and a bridge 21 extending between the depressed ribs 17and 1S and the flanges and the bridge are spaced from the top of theski, see FIGURE 4. Plate "16 is attached to the ski 11 by means ofspaced screws 22 extending through the depressed ribs 17 and 18 and intothe ski. In the illustrated embodirneutvas viewed in FIG- URE 4, theouter edges of the ilangesl 19" and 20 `are turned back on themselves atVthemedl'gesto strengthen the anges and provide a bearing surface.

Front abutment 12 is in the form of a hollow casting seated on the ski11 at the forward end of the Vvplate 16 and attached to the ski bysuitable means, such as screws 25.- The abutment 12 has a clampingshoulder 216 projecting rearwardly therefrom for clamping engagementwith the toe of boot 13. Asshown in FIGURE 2,y the toe clarnp'z is of ashape to conform to the curvature of the toe of a boot and is positionedat a height above the ski plate 16 to engage the upper edge of the soleof a ski' boot. As will be observed in FIGURE 3, the rearward edge 'of'the abutment 12 Iforming the toe clamp- 26 projects rearwardly from anupwardly and rearwardly projecting side ofthe casting to cam the sole ofthe boot downwardly toward the top of the ski 11.

` The heel clamp 114 comprises a base plate 30, of sheet metal `or thelike, mounted to slide on the ski plate 16. To this end, the base plate30 of the heel clamp 14 overlie's the ski plate 16 with its sides foldeddownwardly and inwardly to yform grooves 31 and 32 overlying the sideedges of the ilanges 19 and 20 with a sliding lit. Thus, the base plate30 of heel clamp 14 is adapted to slide along the ski plate 16longitudinally of the ski. Heel clamp 14 lalso includes a jaw member 33extending upwardly and then forwardly from sliding base plate 30 andhaving hinged bearings 34 and 35 at oneend and a clamping shoulder 36 atits opposite end.v A hinge pin 37, see FIGURE 3, `entends through thebearings 34 and on the pivoted clamping jaw 33, see vFIGURE 2, andthrough a bearing38 Ion the base plate 30, see IFIGURE 5, to hingedlymount the jaw 33 for rocking movement. The end `of the jaw 33 on whichclamping shoulder 36 is formedhas the -material rolled back on itself toIreinforce the shoulder and is formed toprovide a rounded` contourcorresponding to the heel of the boot to be clamped. Shoulder 36 of jaw33 is adapted to clamp a boot between its heel and upper, `orengageafrounded groove 36a sometimes provided in the heel of ski boots, asshown diagrammatically in FIGURE 3.

As shown in FIGURES 3 and 5, the jaw 33 of heel clamp 14 is rockedclockwise on its pivot pin 37 by a spring 40 and this clockwise rockingis limited by the tailpiece 33a engaging the base plate 30'. Spring 40acts between an abutment 41 von the base plate 30 and a stud 4Zprojecting through the upwardly inclined portion of the heel clamp. I aw33 of heel clamp 14 is moved downwardly against the action of the springby a cable 43.

As shown most clearly in FIGURE 5, the end of the cable 43 is attachedto the clamping jaw 33 of the heel clamp 14 -by a washer 44 `and nut 45screwed onto a threaded projecting end of stud 42. Cable 43I thenextends forwardly over the top of the jaw 33 and then downwardly throughan opening 46 therein and the cable is guided through the opening by adepressed tongue 47 on the jaw. The cable 43 extends downwardly under apulley or guide roller 48 mounted to rotate in bearings 49 and 50l onthe base plate 30, see FIGURE 4. Cable 43 then extends forwardly underthe ski plate 16 in the space between the bridge 21 and the top of theski .'11, as shown in FIGURES 2, 4 land 5.

Heel clamp 14 is slid longitudinally 'of the ski plate 16 toward the toeclamp 26 by means of a winch 55 to clamp a booth therebetween, seeFIGURES 6` to 8. Winch 55 .comprises a drum 56 mounted on a shaft 57journaled in the sides of the hollow abutment 12. Drum 56 has a recess58 at one end to accommodate a screw 59` for clamping the end of thecable 43 thereto. The peripheral edge of the drum 56 opposite recess 58is formed to provide spur gear teeth 60. As shown in FIGURE 8, avertical shat 61 is journaled in the hollow labu-tment 12 and has a Worm62 at one end in meshing engagement with the gear teeth 60. The oppositeend of the `shaft 61 projects upwardly from the abutment housing 12 andhas knob 15 tixedly mounted thereon. One form `of the invention havingnow been described in detail, Ithe mode of operation is explained asfollows:

When a ski 11 is to be applied to a boot 13, the knob 15 of the bindingis turned in one direction to unreel the cable 43 and the heel clamp 114is pulled rearwardly away from the toe clamp 12. The boot is then placedon the ski with the toe adjacent the toe clamp 26 of the abutment 12 andthe heel of the boot forwardly of the heel clamp 14. Knob y15 then isturned in the opposite direction to reel in th-e cable 43 and tightenthe clamp. Rotation of 4the knob 15, see FIGURE 8, is transmittedthrough the shaft 61 and worm 62 mounted thereon to turn :the drum 56 ofthe winch 55 to reel the cable 43 thereon. As the cable 43 is drawnforwardly it pulls the heel clamp 14 forwardly as la unit, with the baseplate 30y sliding on the ski plate 16, until fthe clamping shoulder 36engages the heel of the boot 13. Continued rotation of the knob 15 thentightly clamps the boot between the toe and heel clamps 26 and 36 andpulls the pivoted jaw 33 downwardly against the action of the spring 40into tight engagement with, for example, the recessed edge 36a of theheel of the boot to tightly clamp the boot between the heel clamp jawand ski plate 16. When the knob 1S i-s released the Worm and wheel 62and 60 interlock to prevent loosening of the cable so that the boot willremain rmly clamped in position on the ski.

When it is desired to remove a ski, the knob 15 is turned to releasingposition which unwinds the cable 43 from winch 55 and releases the heelclamp 14 which may be slid manually from engagement with the heel 4ofthe boot 13. Due to the simplicity of the adjustment, the

.ski binding of the present invention is adapted to be easily andquickly adjusted to boots of diiferent sizes merely by turning the knobmanually. Thus, the binding of the present invention facilitates ftheattachment of a ski to a ,boot by unskilled persons having differentsized feet.

'It will now be observed that the present invention provides a skibinding which may be manually adjusted and clamped to boots of differentsizes by Lan unskilled person in a minimum period of time. It willfurther be observed that the present invention provides a ski bindingwhich may be easily and quickly adjusted by manually turning a knob andwhich will not be released except intentionally when once adjusted. lltwill still funther be observed that the present invention provides a`ski binding which is of relatively simple `and compact constructionthat may be economically manufactured, and one which is reliable inoperation.

While a single embodiment of the invention is herein illustrated anddescribed, it will be understood that changes may be made in theconstruction and arrangement of elements without departing from thespirit or scope of the invention. Therefore, without limitation in thisrespect, the invention is defined by the following claims:

1. A Ski binding for attaching a ski to the boot of a skier comprising afront abutment on the ski having `a rearward projection for clampingengagement with the toe of the boot, a ski plate having depending ribscontacting the ski and fastened thereto -to provide a central bridge andside Han-ges spaced from the ski, a heel clamp having a base platemounted to slide on said ski plate and having `grooves at its edgescooperating with the side flanges of the ski plate, a clamping jawhaving one end pivotally connected to the sliding member and yan'abutment at its -free end shaped to conform to the contour of the heelof the boot, a pulley mounted to rotate on the member below the clampingjaw, a spring `acting between the member and pivoted jaw for rockin-gthe jaw upwardly with respect to the plate, la cable connected to thejaw intermediate its ends and extending around the pulley and forwardlyunder the plate to a position forwardly of the toe clamp, and manuallyoperable means for pulling the cable forwardly whereby to move the slideforwardly until the free end -of the clamping jaw engages the heel ofthe boot to clamp the boot between the jaw and toe clamp and between thejaw and ski plate.

2. A ski binding in' accordance with claim 1 in which the manuallyoperable means is a winch having a winding drnrn to which the cable isattached and axially extending gear teeth on its periphery, a shafthaving a worm in meshing engagement with the gear teeth on the drum, anda knob on the shaft for turning the worm.

3. A ski binding in accordance with |claim 1 in which the clamping jawextends upwardly and forwardly, the end of the cable being attached tothe jaw adjacent its pivot and extending upwardly and forwardly over thejaw and then downwardly through and 4forwardly under the ski plate tothe winc References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATESPATENTS 2,610,861 Campbell Sept. 16, 1952 2,758,846 Swensen Aug. 14,1956 FOREIGN PATENTS 86,038 Switzerland Au-g. 2, 1920 270,453Switzerland Dec. 1, 1950 295,705 Switzerland Mar.` 16, 1954 932,887France Dec. 1, 1947 1,076,254 France Apr. 21, 1 954

1. A SKI BINDING FOR ATTACHING A SKI TO THE BOOT OF A SKIER COMPRISING AFRONT ABUTMENT ON THE SKI HAVING A REARWARD PROJECTION FOR CLAMPINGENGAGEMENT WITH THE TOE OF THE BOOT, A SKI PLATE HAVING DEPENDING RIBSCONTACTING THE SKI AND FASTENED THERETO TO PROVIDE A CENTRAL BRIDGE ANDSIDE FLANGES SPACED FROM THE SKI, A HEEL CLAMP HAVING A BASE PLATEMOUNTED TO SLIDE ON SAID SKI PLATE AND HAVING GROOVES AT ITS EDGESCOOPERATING WITH THE SIDE FLANGES OF THE SKI PLATE, A CLAMPING JAWHAVING ONE END PIVOTALLY CONNECTED TO THE SLIDING MEMBER AND AN ABUTMENTAT ITS FREE END SHAPED TO CONFORM TO THE CONTOUR OF THE HEEL OF THEBOOT, A PULLEY MOUNTED TO ROTATE ON THE MEMBER BELOW THE CLAMPING JAW, ASPRING ACTING BETWEEN THE MEMBER AND PIVOTED JAW FOR ROCKING THE JAWUPWARDLY WITH RESPECT TO THE PLATE, A CABLE CONNECTED TO THE JAWINTERMEDIATE ITS END AND EXTENDS AROUND THE PULLEY AND FORWARDLY UNDERTHE PLATE TO A POSITION FORWARDLY OF THE TOE CLAMP, AND MANUALLYOPERABLE MEANS FOR PULLING THE CABLE FORWARDLY WHEREBY TO MOVE THE SLIDEFORWARDLY UNTIL THE FREE END OF THE CLAMPING JAW ENGAGES THE HEEL OF THEBOOT TO CLAMP THE BOOT BETWEEN THE JAW AND TOE CLAMP AND BETWEEN THE JAWAND SKI PLATE.